Even before a single vote is cast in the panchayat polls, the 2018 panchayat poll has already scripted a record as the fate of 34.2% seats in the three-tier rural bodies have been decided without a contest.

The ruling Trinamool Congress is the only party which has been able to field candidates for all the rural body seats.

Figures released by the State Election Commission revealed that of the 48,650 gram panchayat seats in the state, Trinamool has already bagged 16,814. The fate of 3,059 panchayat samiti seats and 203 zilla parishad seats have also been decided without a contest.

Though Ranjan Dey, BJP District President has claimed that TMC using violence and threatened. Rabindra Nath Ghosh, the Minister in charge of north Bengal development department , said: “All allegations are false. The BJP could not find any candidate. In Coochbihar district, there was no violence. “